Check the COS Catalog for books

Subject Headings to check for: In addition to the individual instruments which may have a book written specifically for it, such as the Oboe,Saxophone, Trumpet,Violin, Clarinet or Piano, don't forget that the Cello is really listed as Violoncello and the Drum may also be found under Percussion instruments. You may have to look a little farther for information on the more uncommon instruments so broaden your search by trying the listings for Musical instruments in general or Brass or Woodwind Instruments accordingly.

Reference Books Are a Good Place to Start

Reference books cannot be checked out and therefore should be available for use at all times the library is open.

GENERAL WORKS

R 780.3 N532 The new Grove dictionary of music and musicians - includes thousands of articles covering over 5,000 years of music history, insturments, composers, institutions, performers, genres, and more. This edition covers more non-Western music from Latin American, Asian, sub-Saharan African and Pacific Islander.

R 784.1903 B162 The Oxford companion to musical instruments. Each entry in this lavishly illustrated book offers a concise description of the instrument, as well as a wealth of information on such subjects as playing techniques, harmonics and circular breathing, the sound of an instrument, acoustics, pitch, an instrument's use within the orchestral repertoire or, for ethnomusicological instruments, within ritual, and significant developments in its history. Baines covers a vast array of instruments, from the common cowbell, to the Red-hot fountain pen (a novelty instrument of the 1930s), to the Celtic harp.

R 784.1909 M758 Origins and development of musical instruments - describes the creation, use, and development of musical instruments from the Old Stone Age to the present day. Musical instruments, from the simplest whistles to the most complex organs, conch trumpets to sousaphones, archers' and musical bows to violins and pianos, the most basic straw reeds to the modern MIDI systems, and pairs of stones struck together to synthesizers.

R 784.192 P138 The musical instrument desk reference- a guide to how band and orchestral instruments work. Descriptions and illustrations of everything from the physics of sound to detailed discussions of each orchestra and band instrument. Through its Quick Start and In Depth features, readers can quickly decide how deeply they want to delve into the instrument at hand.

INDIVIDUAL INSTRUMENTS

R 786.203 R581 Piano : An Encyclopedia. Everything from the acoustics and construction of the piano to the history of the companies that have built them.

R 786.81903 E56 Encyclopedia Of Percussion. The only comprehensive encyclopedia covering all of the major percussion instruments, the volume is divided into 4 major sections: an alphabetical dictionary of percussion instruments and terms; illustrations of key percussion instruments; longer, individual articles on key members of the percussion family, from Bass Drum to Xylophone, written by leading percussionists and scholars; and finally, several appendices of terms and symbols and a comprehensive bibliography.